(a) Foster parents and kinship parents play an integral, indispensable, and vital role in the state’s effort to care for children displaced from their homes, and such parents and persons have the following rights: The Coronavirus Emergency and Public Benefits Programs (Food Stamps, Medicaid, WV Works) As the coronavirus emergency has gotten worse, Congress has passed legislation to help Americans. Kinship care refers to the care of children by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends (often referred to as fictive kin). However, you will be denied because you are not a blood relative of the child. In some cases, guardianship is given to relative caregivers and child welfare is not involved; in other situations, the local child welfare agency is involved. program in which families caring for children of relatives may be eligible to receive financial assistance A “relative child” is a child being cared for by a relative, or “Relative Care Provider.” The arrangement may be informal or formal. West Virginia Foster and Kinship/Relative Parent Bill of Rights from the Office of Inspector General of WV. You can also be reimbursed for mileage when you take the child to supervised visits with family and to the doctor. §49-2-127. Around 200,000 children in the UK are currently being raised by their grandparents for many reasons, but often as a result of family difficulties, death or illness. §49-2-127. The family decides on its own that this relative will care for the child. The child will still be eligible for Medicaid. TANF child only grants do not consider the caretaker’s income. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources . A kinship caregiver is a relative who is raising the child of another family member. In West Virginia the TANF Program is called WV Works. The Kinship Check begins at $262.00 for the first child, then increases per child per month. If you need more assistance, please call our Application Line at 1-866-255-4370 to apply for services. You can do this at your local DHHR office. West Virginia inROADS - An open road to benefits. “Kinship parent” means a person with whom the department has placed a child to provide a kinship placement. Kinship families should receive the same benefits that foster parents do (funded largely through Federal Family First Prevention Services Act). The most common example is a grandparent raising a grandchild. A one-time subsidy of up to $2,000 is available to cover legal expenses for the adoption proceedings. Children who remain within kinship care are reported by caregivers to have Kinship care represents an opportunity for states to provide The purpose of the study, conducted by A Second Chance, Inc., through a grant from Casey Family Programs, was to gain recommendations for improving services provided for kinship/relative foster care families. Once you are denied, you can apply to receive a Kinship Check through Social Services. Initiated by the West Virginia Office of Social Services, Depart-ment of Health and Human Resources in partnership with Mission West Virginia, a state faith-based initiative, the Some of the laws relate to public benefit programs like food stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, and WV WORKS (TANF, cash welfare assistance). West Virginia's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program is WV WORKS. We recommend taking one with you so you are not turned away. For more families, there will be an increase of about $40 per month for reach additional child. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Children and Families (BCF) today released a Study of Kinship Care Families. Foster Parents’ and Kinship Bill of Rights. The caretaker must have a DHHR approved home and the child must have been in the home of the caretaker at least 6 consecutive months while in DHHR custody. Another kind of kinship caregiver is a non-relative that the child considers to be a family member. A guardianship is the transfer of legal responsibility for a child to someone other than the parents. Despite the challenges, kinship care has many benefits. 1. needs for West Virginia families, including kinship care families. Foster Parents’ and Kinship Bill of Rights. §49-2-127. The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center serves as a national legal resource in support of grandfamilies within and outside the child welfare system. What Are the Benefits of Kinship Care? This program will allow the child to go to a West Virginia public institution of higher education. Updated September 2019 Below you will find information about the adoption assistance benefits that may be available to families who adopt children from foster care in West Virginia. Consid-ers only the needs and income of the child. For a formal kinship arrangement, the relatives are certified foster parents for a child in state custody. Many grandparents may be disabled, infirm, or living on a fixed income. Pay increases, training, and more hiring of well-qualified child protective services workers and public defenders, whose caseloads are over-taxed. Due to COVID-19, courts may require face coverings for all meetings or hearings. Mission West Virginia is a non-profit organization that collaborates with public, private and faith communities, equipping them to utilize existing resources to form new partnerships, encouraging innovative social change, and building stronger communities in West Virginia. If you are a certified foster parent, you may receive a Foster Care Subsidy of $600 per child per month. Kinship guardians provide one of the best opportunities for children to thrive when their parents are unable to care for them. To be eligible for a Kinship Care payment, you must: Also, a one-time subsidy of up to $2,000 is available to cover legal expenses for the guardianship proceedings. Child care assistance may be available if the foster parent is employed or in school. Kinship Care Information Hotline. If your employer is covered by FMLA, you may be able to take leave to care for an adopted or foster child. Kinship/relatives can go through the homestudy process and be opened in FACTS as a Kinship/Relative Provider. February 2021: There will be a second round of the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) allocated to eligible children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. The amount of TANF assistance for a child is based on where the kinship care provider resides in the state. Obtain written permission from the parent(s) to provide care for the child(ren), if possible 2. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Children and Families (BCF) today released a Study of Kinship Care Families. Visit www.grandfactsheets.org to find this and all GrandFacts state fact sheets. Family Matters provides information on WIC programs, immunizations, food and clothing assistance, child health issues, and income assistance. You should apply for a TANF caretaker relative check. These checks begin at $288 for the first child per month, for a maximum of $559 per month for 8 or more children. You may also receive a one-time clothing allowance of up to $300 per child when the child enters your home, if it is the first out of home placement for the child after removal. We suggest contacting the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Kinship Support Hotline at 877-565-5608 or email DCBSChildProtection@ky.gov to see what services your family may be eligible for based on your circumstances. Cash Benefits for Children Living With Relatives Other than Parents. The Family Matters hotline can be reached at (888) WV-F AMILY ((888) 983-2645). Read this article to learn more. TANF As the name suggests, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides temporary assistance to families with very low incomes. Kinship Care Information Hotline. Please click the option below that best fits you to read more details from DHHR. Research confirms that compared to children in nonrelative care, children in kinship... Increases permanency for children. The vast majority of kinship care arrangements occur without the assistance of social service agencies. Kinship Care Relationships and Possible Benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) & Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Adoption subsidy policies and practices are, for the most part, dependent on the state where the child was in foster care … The child is also eligible for Medicaid and School Clothing Vouchers. Many grandparents may be disabled, infirm, or living on a fixed income. Or a kinship caregiver can be a non-relative that the child considers to be a family member. In WV, the Department has defined kinship/relatives for the purposes ... developed within 60 days of the date the child entered foster care and the requirements of WV State Code 496-5 following the adjudication by the Court - Families and youths can call, text, or chat the Children’s Crisis and Referral Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 844HELP4WV or 844-435-7498. Sometimes the DHHR may place a child with a kinship caregiver temporarily without the kinship placement becoming a certified foster parent. Return to Kinship Home Page Mission West Virginia, Inc. 168 Midland Trail, Suite 1 Hurricane, WV, 25526 304-562-0723 General 304-512-0555 Foster Care